Liquid storage tank



Feb. l2, 1946.

R. H. GODDARD LIQUID STORAGE TANK Filed Oct. 24, 19414 Patented Feb. 12,1946 .v y y 2,394,853 "'rso srA'rss .PATENT OFFICE 'imumsronaosraux'ene-halfta'lhelladllandllaeeloemhclxalonIaMNewYelhltY-.acaneeatimotNewIark,suchtanksaresubjecttoangular displacement ortochangesinacceleration,asinanaircrafhit has been found diiiicult to maintain continumlsliquiddischargetherefrmasthedischargeoutletofsuchatankmaybepartlyorwhollyunrcoveredfmmtimetotimeorthedepthorliquid abovetheoutletmayvdrywidely.

It is the general object o! my invention toprovideaconstructioninaliquidstoragetank whichwilleilect continuousliquiddischargefroin the tank in any angularpositionoi the tank or undersubstantial changes in acceleration or To the attainment of this generalobject!! provide a plurality of separate dischargevalves,

together with means for opening each valve when sulanerged and when inadeilnite relation tothemassorliquidinthetank. "Y".

Ialsoplovideaconstx'uctionbywhichtheliquid whichpassesoutthroughalloithevalvs is dischargedirom the tank througha singledischarge connection.

Hy invention further relates tok and combinations of parts which will behereinafm described and mere lm-lzigumrlyA outintheappendedclaims. Y

Preferred forms of the inventionare shown inthedrawing,inwhich:

Flg.1isaplanviewofmyimprovedliquid storagetank;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, looking in l115g. 3 is asectionalplan view o! a discharge valve, showninclosed position;

nensaviewsimimrmnssuntsnowme the valve open;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a shock-absorbing device;

Fig. 6 isa detail sectional elevation of a illler device;

Fig. 'I is a sectional side elevation of a modiiled tankconstruction;and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of certain parts shown in ing. '1.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, my improved liquid storage tank comprises aclose'd casing I which may be of any desired shape but which is shownherein 'as approximately rectangular and as loosely' enclosed in arectangular iixed framework F. v

The casing Il is normally centered in the frame F, both vertically andhorizontally', by a plurality of compression springs H interposedbetween the sides, ends and bottom and top surfaces of the casing andthe adjacent portions of the xed trame F. The'tank Il thus has limitedyielding movement in every direction relative to co the frame F.

omimu.

19u, Serial No. 41u31 15 Claims. (0I. 137-81) y Blind-absorbing devicesD are preferably associated with the compression springs Il and preventtoc rapid oscillation of the casing in the mme r. 'mese snoek-absorbingdevices may.

beofanyusualconstructiomsuchasisshown for instance in Fig. 5, where thedevice D comprises a cylindrical 2l in whicha piston 2l is slidableThecasingllisconnectedbyarod 22 to the frameFandthe piston 2i isconnected byapistonrodtoanadjacentportion ofthe casing Il. Suitablepacking 2l is provided for the piston rod, and small bleed openings 2lluidV l are provided in the ends of the cylinder 2L 42 2 and Ilpreferably have ball-shaped ends to provide swivel connections betweenthe f Il andtheirameEso/thatthecasing in' "be free to move in anydirection.

l'Adischargepipelispmovidedinthecasing Il, which pipe Il has an upwardextension ll and four extensions 32, 33, 3l and Il, thus forming'asix-armed pipe cross. Each of the sixarms is provided at its outer endwith valve structuresuch'asisshownin detaiiinFlgs. 3 and 4i Each valvecomprises a plate 4I which is normail! seated against the end of itsbranch Pillebitension spri'pg 4l. Each plate Il has a l2 slidable in atube Il which is xed to `a perforated plate Il forming a'partltion nearth end of its branch pipe. l Eachplate Il is cbnnectedto an adjacentportion 'of the' casing Ilby a iiexibie cord or chain 4i,

lwhich allows the valve to be closed by its spring Il when' the casingil is centered in the frame F; but which opens the valve as shown inFig.

4 when the distance between the end of the branch pipe and the adjacent'casing wall is increased by displacement of the casing in theframe-work F.

In order to hold the discharge pipe structure. xed in the trame Fwhilethe casing il is freely movable in al1 directions, I provide a dischargeconnection (Fig. 2) near lthe lower end of the the casing Il and theframe F and loosely enclosing the connection Il.

60 With this construction, the discharge connection "and the six-armedcross supported thereby is maintained ilxed in the frame F, withoutinterfering in any Way with the'limited free dis- Y placement of thecasing i0. The casing I0 may 65 thus be yieldingly displaced in anydirection by the mass or inertia 4of liquid in the casing, as

the angular position of the tank is variedor as the acceleration of themass of liquid is increased Aox" decreased. 0n such displacement one ormore of the valves 4I' which are at that time submerged in the liquidwill be opened by springs 4|. y

The casing l will occupy the accurately centered position shown in thedrawing only when the casing I0 is empty, and there is no mass of liquidtherein to displace the casing by its weight or inertia.

It is desirable to exclude air or gas from the discharge pipe structureas the casing l0 is filledv and for this purpose I provide the upperpipe4 extension 3| with an oiIset inlet 00 (Fig. 6), normally closed bya plug 0|. A cover plate 02 is provided for an opening 03 in the casingI0 adjacent the inlet 60.

When the casing I0 is to `be filled, the plate 02 and plugtl areremoved, so that liquid may be poured through the opening 03 to lill thecasing and may also freely enter the discharge pipe structure throughthe inlet 00 and the perforations in the adjacent partition Il.

There are no angles in the branch pipes in' which air can be trapped andthe pipe structure may be fllled independently of the filling of thetank if so desired.

In a tank constructed as described, I secure continuous discharge ofliquid from the casing |0 through the discharge connection 50 in everyangular position of the storage tank and under` all conditions oi'acceleration or deceleration.

In certain cases it may not be-desirable to mount the tank casing forfree movement in its supporting frame work. Under these circumstances, Imay utilize the construction shown in Figs. 'l and 8.-

In this modified construction, the casing |00, the discharge pipestructure |0| and the valve structure |02 may be as previouslydescribed, except that the casing |00 is fixed in position relative tothe discharge pipe structure |0|. The ilexible connection |03 for thevalve |02 is connected lto a yoke |04' having end plates |05 and |00.These plates form the movable ends of bellows members |01 and |00respectively and lare normally maintained in the position shown in Fig.7 by compression springs ||0 and flexible 'I'he interiors of the bellowsstop members members |01 and |00 are vented to the atmosphere throughopenings ||4 in the casing |00.

With this construction, the weight or inertia of the liquid in thecasing |00 is exerted on the i casings |0 or |00, as shown particularlyin Figs.

3 and 7, the ends of the branch discharge pipes may extend beyond thenormal surface of the casing walls, so that the liquid may be morecompletely drained from-the casing than would be the case if the valveswere located substantially inward from said walls.

From the above description, the. use and advantages of my invention willbe readily apparent, particularly when the invention is installed inaircraft or similar structure in which the angular position of the tankas well as the acceleration or deceleration of the contents may varyquickly and widely.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is 1. A liquid storage tankcomprising a movabiy their sexible'connecnons u. while the valves whichare not submerged will be closed by their mounted closed casing, adischarge connection having branch pipes mounted in fixed positionwithin said movable casing and terminating within and adjacent spacedimperforate side, bot-V tom and top innersurfaces of said casing, aseparate valve normally closing the outer end of each fixed branch pipewithin said movable casing, and means to open Yeach such valve bydisplacement of said casing due to the pressure of the mass of liquid insaid tank exerted adjacent said valve and while said valve is submergedin said liquid.

2. 'I'he combination in a storage tank as set forth in claim 1, in whichmeans is provided to iill said discharge lconnection and said branchpipes when said casing is being illled and as a single operation.

3. A liquid storage tank comprising a clod lcasing, a dischargeconnection having branch pipes terminating adjacent spaced side, bottomand top inner surfaces of said casing, a separate valve normally closingthe outer end of each branch pipe, and means to open each such valve bythe pressure of the mass of liquid in said tank exerted against asurface adjacent said valve and movable relative thereto.

4. A liquid storage tank for a movable structure comprising a framefixed in said movable structure and displaceable therewith, a closedcasing.- means to yieldingly support said casing in said frame forcontrolled displacement theref in, a discharge connection fixed in saidframe and extending freely into said casing, branch pipes mounted onsaid discharge connection within said casing, a separate valve normallyclosing the outer end of each branch pipe, and means to open certainvalvesin response to changes in the application of the weight or inertiaof the liquid in said casing incident to changes in lacceleration,deceleration or position of said movable structure. e

5. A liquid storage tank for a movable structure comprising 'a framefixed in said movable structure and displaceableI therewith, a closedcasing, means to yieldingly support said casing in saidV framev forcontrolled displacement in all directions therein, a dischargeconnection fixed in said frame and extending freely into said casing,branch pipes mounted on said discharge connection within said casing, aseparate valve normally closing the outer end of each branch pipe, andmeans to open certain valves in response to displacement of said casingin said frame by changes in the application of the weight or inertia ofthe liquid to said casing incident to changes in acceleration,deceleration or position of said movable structure.

6. A liquid storage tank for a movable structure comprising a framefixed in said movable structure and displaceable therewith, a closedcasing, means to yieldingly support said casing valves by application ofthe weight or inertia of the liquid against said casing adjacent saidvalve incident to changes in acceleration, deceleration or position oi'said movable structure.

7. A liquid storage tank for a movable structure comprising a fixedframe iixed in said movable structure and displaceable therewith, a

closed casing, means to yieldingly support said casing in said frame forcontrolled displacement in al1 directions therein, a dischargeconnection xed in said frame and extending freely into said casing,bellows sealing means for said casing around said discharge connection,branch pipes mounted on said discharge connection within said casing, aseparate Valve normally closing the outer end of each branch pipe, and aconnection between the casing and each valve through which said valve isopened by outward displacement of the casing relative to the branch pipeby application of the weight or inertia of the liquid against saidcasing adjacent said valve incident to changes in acceleration,decelerationv or position of said movable structure.

8. A liquid storage tank for a movable structure comprising a frame xedin saidmovable structure and displaceable therewith, a closed casing,means to yieldingly support said casing in said frame for controlleddisplacement therein, a discharge connection fixed in said frame andextending freely into but sealed in said casing, branch pipes mounted onsaid discharge connection within said casing and extending in dierentdirections therefrom, a normally closed,

valve for the outer end of each branch pipe, and means to open thevalves on different branch pipes as said tank, when containing liquid,is displaced to different angular positions with respect to the verticalincident to changes in position of said movable structure.

9. A liquid storage tank for a movable struc*- ture comprising a framefixed in said movable structure and displaceable therewith, a closedcasing, means to yieldingly support said casingv in said frame forcontrolled displacement therein, a discharge connection fixed in saidframe and extending freelyv into but sealed in said vcasing, branchpipes mounted on said dischargey connection within said casing andextending in different directions therefrom, a normally closed valve forthe outer end of each branch pipe, and

y means to open one of said valves as the tank, when containing liquid,is accelerated and a different valve as the tank is decelerated incidentto changes in acceleration or deceleration of 'said movable structure.

10. A liquid storage tank for a movable structure comprising a frame xedin said movable structure and displaceable therewith, a closed casing,means to support said casing in said frame for yielding displacementtherein, damping devices controlling the rate of displacement, adischarge connection fixed in said frame and extending freely intosaidcasing, sealing means for said casing around said connection, branch.pipes mounted on said discharge connection within. said casing, andterminating adjacent dierent spaced portionsof said casing, a normallyclosed Valve for the outer end of each branch pipe, and means to opencertain discharge valves on different branch pipes as said tank, whencontaining liquid, is displaced relative to said fixed frame bytheweight or'inertia of the liquid therein incident to changes inacceleration, deceleration or position oi said movable structure.

11. A liquid storage tank for a movable structure comprising a frame xedlin said movable structure and displaceable therewith, a closed casing.means to yieldingly support said casing in said frame for controlleddisplacement therein, a discharge connection fixed in said frame andextending freely into said casing, branch pipes in said casing andextending in diverse directions from said discharge pipe to spacedpoints inside of and adjacent the casing wall, a normally closed valvefor each branch pipe, separate means to open each of said valves, saidseparate means being rendered operative by the weight or the inertia. ofthe liquid in said tank when exerted adjacent thereto and incident tochanges in acceleration, deceleration or position of said movablestructure, and means to close said valves as soon as said weight orinertia becomes noneffective. y

13. A liquid storage tank for a movable structure comprising a framefixed in said movable structure and displaceable therewith, a closedcasing, means to yieldingly support said casing in said frame forcontrolled displacement therein, a discharge connection fixed in saidframe and extending freely into said casing, branch pipes mounted onsaid discharge connection within said casing and terminating adjacentdifferent spaced portions of said casing, said spaced adjacent portionsbeing outwardly displaced relative to the casing surfaces and the branchpipes terminating substantially in the planes of said casing surfaces, avalve for the outer end of each branch pipe, and means to open certaindischarge valves as the tank, when containing liquid, is tilted,accelerated or decelerated incident to changes in acceleration,deceleration or position of said movable structure.

14. A,liquid supply tank comprising a fixed casing, a branched dischargepipe fixed in said casing, a normally closed valve for each branch pipe,and separate means to open each of said valves, said separate meansbeing operated by the weight or the inertia of the liquid in said 50tank exerted adjacent thereto, and said separate means comprisingbellows members having their interiors vented to atmosphere, springs toexpand said bellows members, means to limit such expansion, and anon-extensible connection from said bellows members to said valvethrough which said valve is opened as said members are compressed byliquid pressure thereon.

15. A liquid storage tank comprising a closed casing, a dischargeconnection having branch pipes terminating adjacent spaced side, bottomand top inner surfaces of said casing and entering saiddischargeconnection at angles which will avoid the trapping oi' air in saidbranch pipes, a separate valve normally closing the outer end of eachbranch pipe, means to open each such valve by the pressure of the massof liquid in said tank exerted against a yieldingly mounted surfaceadjacent said valve, and the branch pipe v extending adjacent the topinner surface of the 70 casinghaving a removable closure at its outerend 1 adjacent a removable closure in `said casing and through which theentire discharge pipe structure may be independently filled without thetrapping of air therein. i

- RQBERT H. GODDARD.

